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EU Elections Weekly Update

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EU Elections Weekly Update EU Elections Weekly Update 10 May 2019 EU Elections Timeline European Elections September - October 23-26 Parliamentary hearings of May Commissioners designate 1 Nov 15-18 18 April End of June Jul New Commision Last session of the European Council takes office outgoing Parliament proposes a candidate Election of the for the Commission Commission President President by the Parliament EP vote of consent of the new Commission + European Council formally Jun appoints the commission Elected candidates negotiate 21-24 to form political groups for the Oct upcoming Parliament’s 9th term 15 May 2-4 July - September November - December Lead candidates’ Jul Member States Exchange of views on debate in the EU propose members multinational priorities, Parliament Inaugural plenary session of the newly- of the Commission Commission Work elected Parliament Programme On 15 May at 21:00, the EU Parliament will host a Europe-wide broadcast lead candidates’ 15 May debate in Brussels. The debate will be organised and broadcast by Eurovision - the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). On 2 July, the Parliament’s 9th term will start and MEPs will meet for its constituent 2 Jul session in Strasbourg. MEPs will elect the President, the 14 Vice-Presidents and the five Quaestors of the House and decide on the number and composition of Parliament’s standing and sub committees - thereby launching the new legislative term. 2 Second Spitzenkandidaten debate: the Firenze debate 4 lead candidates from the main European political parties were present for the second debate for the future European Commission Presidency. The candidates present were Frans Timmermans (S&D), Manfred Weber (EPP), Guy Verhofstadt (ALDE) and Ska Keller (Greens). The debate was focusing on the Future of Europe with special points of debate on social and economic policies, security policy and defence. Dissolution of the ALDE group Guy Verhofstadt announced that the ALDE group will be dissolved after the new election in order to form a new group with candidates from the Macron’s “Renaissance” list. They aim to create “a new group, a global group, a pro-European centrist group”. Moreover, ALDE has decided to present seven main candidates for the future European Commission Presidency as a way to protest the EU’s Spitzenkandidat process. The group would agree to such system if the citizens could directly elect the new Commission president. Weber as main target for all candidates The other candidates attacked him on his close relation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and on the austerity initiatives implemented by the EPP. An EU army? While Weber and Verhofstadt were mainly in favour to develop an EU army, Timmermans and Keller were opposed to this idea. Weber also proposed the idea of an European FBI. The concluding remarks Verhofstadt insisted Europe must be more united to compete against empires such as China, India, Russia or the US. Weber focused on the need to bring the EU closer to European Citizens. For him, some citizens need to be convinced to believe in the EU. Timmermans believes that the EU is for the first time really in danger and could break apart. Finally, Keller urged voters to think about the future of the planet and every voter should take into account the future of young people. You can find more details about the debate here. German Spitzenkandidaten debate: Weber and Timmermans A TV debate took place Tuesday night between Frans Timmermans (S&D) and Manfred Weber (EPP). The debate firstly focused on climate change with some strong words from Weber believing that apart from a “few right weirdos” everyone knows that fight against climate change is urgent. Timmermans claimed that until now, only its group the Greens and the left have worked on climate and environmental policies. Apart from climate change, the debate focused also on security and migration in the EU as well as their future plans for the European Commission. You can find more details about the debate here. 3 EP seat projections - May 2019 Seat projections for the next European Parliament EU28 – as of 10 May 2019 Politico has published a new set of projections on how the next chamber might look, based on polling data published in 28 EU member states. Source: https://www.politico.eu/2019-european-elections/ The European People’s Party is expected to remain the largest political grouping in the European Parliament after May’s election. The latest seat projections released by the European Parliament give the EPP 171 seats representing 25 national delegations. The Socialists and Democrats will place second with 152 seats. This projection takes into account the new group formed by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats of Europe (ALDE) and Macron’s party “Renaissance”. They will therefore create “a new group, a global group, a pro-European centrist group” as stated by Guy Verhofstadt during the last Spitzenkandidaten debate. The group is projected to have 95 seats, growing by 27 seats. The European Parliament’s analysis shows gains by Eurosceptic and far-right political parties. The Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF) is expected to have 71 seats. 4 European Election Manifesto 2019 European Election Manifesto 2019 All the major European parties have now published their manifestos for the upcoming European elections. The manifestos vary both in size and in the messages that they want to put forward. The overarching themes of the manifestos include migration, the environment and sustainability, the EU budget and the Eurozone, as well as the need to take advantage of and manage digitalisation. Please see the manifestos of each party below to get more insights. European Peoples Party “Let’s open the next chapter for Europe together” Europe stands at a historical crossroads: at these European elections, the EPP commits to build a better Europe that is designed to • Protect Europe’s borders against illegal immigration as a precondition for securing our citizens and the trust in our Union; • Fight terrorism and organised crime with police, security and intelligence services; • Protect our citizens through stronger defence and military security; • Defend our European social model in a globalised world where everyone enjoys health insurance and high-quality public services, where workers have their rights and where social interests and market forces are balanced; • Fight climate change reducing the environmental and climate impacts on the economy and society, defending the Paris Climate agreement, protecting biodiversity; • Preserve our cultural richness, traditions and diversity; • Safeguard our democracy and our European values, i.e. Christian values, human rights, human dignity, freedom and responsibility, equality between men and women, solidarity, rule of law, justice, pluralism and tolerance; • Fight against fake news and hate speech; defend European social standards; fight against health threats and combat the challenges arising from an ageing population, antimicrobial resistance and chronic and infectious diseases; • Improve our integration capacity, promoting an effective and solid integration policy, and encouraging the integration of recognized refugees; • Lead the fight against poverty and the efforts to achieve sustainable development globally; • Invest in the great potential of European citizens through a strategy based on three pillars: the social market economy, human-centred innovations, and keeping all regions competitive; • Empower EU citizens being politically engaged and truly feeling represented by elected leaders and institutions. 5 European Election Manifesto 2019 Party of European Socialists “A New Social Contract for Europe” For the Socialists and Democrats, the status quo is not an option. Europe needs a change of leadership and policy direction, so the party commits to guarantee citizens’ wellbeing and ensure social and ecological progress, leaving no person and no territory behind in the green and digital transitions. • A Europe of equality and fairness with strong welfare states, social safety nets, and quality public services, which tackles unemployment and social exclusion and defends the right to quality healthcare, education and decent pensions; • A Europe of solidarity for the many, not the few, creating economic opportunity for all, and ensuring that prosperity is sustainable and shared fairly by all Europeans. European fiscal rules must be reviewed to make sure that they foster sustainable growth and employment. Rules of the financial and banking sectors must be reviewed; • A sustainable Europe that protects our planet, fight climate change, protect biodiversity, stop pollution, improve mobility and meet new societal demands, including sustainable production methods, better nutrition, reduced food waste, better animal welfare etc; • A free and democratic Europe, which empowers citizen participation from the local to the European level, enhances cultural diversity and make individuals have equal rights and live free from discrimination, prejudice and sexism, and with full respect of their privacy and safety; • A feminist Europe with equal rights for all, ending the pay and pension gaps, combatting sexual harassment and gender-based violence, building a society where women and men enjoy the same work-life balance and equal political participation; • A progressive Europe with a youth plan that gives access to quality healthcare, childcare, education; • A strong and united Europe that promotes a better world: Europe as a beacon of democracy, peace and stability, as well as a benchmark
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